Rider's Rise
by devilnightking100
Summary: The awaited sequel of A Catgirl Gamer in Remnant. Over twenty years have passed since the defeat of Salem, and a new generation of hunters enter the picture. Enter Rider, an enigma with a dark power, and her team. As they begin their time at Beacon, they find themselves fighting in the war that the Black Cat of Beacon had started long ago. Crimson Mist isn't biding his time anymore
1. Where are they now?

_**I garentee nothing for update frequency but...**_

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

It had been twenty years since the defeat of Salem. Without their queen to direct their efforts, the grimm were much easier to eliminate, but their threat remained. And though that threat persisted until this day, humans and faunus managed to survive and thrive. Villages were restored, families began, and love was found and kept.

As for those who played their part in the fall of the Grimm Witch, well, they were living happily. Most still lived their lives as huntresses, often working together.

Ruby and Penny Rose were among the most famous huntresses in the world, always appearing at the most heavily infested areas and laying waste to the grimm.

Yang and Ilia Xioa Long, when they weren't hunting grimm, were often found at the headquarters of the White Fang, where they and their friends, Blake and Sun Wu Kong, continued to fight for faunus rights.

Not long after the defeat of Salem, Weiss managed to take over the SDC, thanks to documented proof that the heiress hadn't willingly given her stocks to her brother. How Neo had gotten that, the company owner wasn't sure she wanted to know, but it gave her the chance to change the Schnee name for the better.

Juane and Pyrrha Arc, were happily married in Argus, raising their own family.

After their own wedding, Nora and Ren vanished for a month and came back to help repair their childhood village. After all, it was where they met. The couple live there in the house of Ren's father.

Tara vanished into the world a few years after Salem's defeat, wandering Anima listlessly. She visits her friends whenever able, but the Spring Maiden is forever a wandering soul.

Mercury found himself forced to reconnect with his long-lost sister, which he begrudgingly found himself enjoying, as they played prank after prank on the Atlas Military instructors with the help of Kya's team.

As for Cinder and Emerald Fall, they aided in the reclamation of Beacon, seeing as they had their hand in causing its fall, and after that was done they found a small two-story building where they opened their own bakery that held onto it's place as one of Vale's top 10 bakeries from that day to this.

Oscar Pine, after the reclamation of Beacon, found himself thrust into the position of headmaster with the help of Ozpin, who hadn't completely combined with the farm boy. Though it was a day-by-day struggle, the man with two souls did the best they could.

And last but not least, Neo and Allison N Rouge. The couple did what they always did, cause trouble and laugh while they did it. But the Black Cat of Beacon never stopped searching for her counterpart, Crimson Mist and her sister, Connie.

And as she suspected, they were planning something that would once again shake Remnant to its core.

_**And done. Well, now we know more-or-less where everyone is. I'll probably post more oneshots when I'm having trouble with the chapters, but other than that what do people think so far? Good? Bad? Somewhat unbelievable? Leave a review with your thoughts and I'll see everyone in a second, as I'm posting the next chapter soon.**_


	2. Thus the curtain rises

_**Thus the Curtain Rises on our performance once more.**_

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

A pair of young women stood on the airship bound for Beacon. "So, this is really happening." the first, a black-haired cat faunus about 6' tall, leaped through the trees, her red duster jacket flowing behind her.

"Yeah. It took a while, didn't it Rider?" the other, a similarly tall human woman with her head shaved on one side and her black, shoulder-length hair pulled to one side over her eye. "Do you think I look okay?" she asked, gesturing to her leather corset and skinny-jeans, as well as the black tank top she was wearing.

"You look fine, Angel." Rider assured, rolling her mismatched pink and brown eyes. "Honestly, have some confidence in yourself, girl." she chided.

"Says the catgirl who makes a duster jacket work." Angel shot back, causing the two to burst into giggles. "But seriously, you look great in that." Angel added.

"Thanks, Ang." Rider replied, smiling as she looked out the window again.

Rider's POV

I smiled as I watched Beacon come closer. We were almost there. Almost to my dream. And it was all on my own skill. I glanced at Angel, who was looking over the crowd nervously, and I bit back a sigh. Honestly, in the three years I've known her, she's always been skittish, but this was ridiculous. "You know you'll have to get used to people that aren't me, right?" I asked my best friend.

"I know, but does it have to be right now?" was my companion's reply.

I think that was about when the blonde girl stumbled forward and lost her lunch in the middle of the crowd. "Guess air travel isn't for everyone." I muttered, noticing others start to laugh at the girl. "Be right back." I assured Angel as I approached the poor sick girl. "Trace on." I muttered, visualizing a mop. "You okay?" I asked, using the instant cleaning magic in the mop to wipe away the vomit before vanishing.

"Y-yeah. I just don't do too well in the air. Guess it's a family thing." she replied, looking up at me with emerald eyes and a weak but grateful smile.

"Oh look, a little kitten came to help her master." someone mocked.

"Trace on." I spoke again, this time visualizing a familiar weapon and pointing it at the offending boy. "I would suggest not saying things like that. Other faunus may not be as forgiving as me." I warned, dismissing the weapon before turning to see the blonde girl had stumbled toward the on-board bathroom. Guess that was that.

…

We landed in the Beacon courtyard and I glanced around. Decent greenery, though Mom told me it was way better before it fell. And I could see that some portions of the school were still under construction. "Well, this is it." I muttered, trying not to focus on the crowd trying to move past me and Angel. "I think the auditorium is this way." I informed my companion, pointing a thumb toward the building.

"I could probably find it quicker if I touch something electronic in the building." she offered. I smiled, nodding as we located a bounty board. Angel pressed her hand on it and her tattoos began to glow. "Executing Phase Shift." she muttered. I glanced behind us while my siren companion did her thing, but no one seemed to be looking our way. "Got it." she informed me, the light on her tats disappearing.

"Lead the way." I replied.

Ember's POV

I was curious about the two girls standing by the bounty board, but I got the feeling if I did watch them I'd be caught. Plus, "What's up Ember?" my companion asked.

"It's nothing Cala." I replied, turning away from the girls to meet my best friend's gaze. Shit, why was she glaring at me?

"You were staring at those girls." She accused.

"I was curious what they were doing. Nothing to worry about." I replied dryly.

I was fixed with a more intense stare. "Are you sure you weren't looking at their busts?" she pressed, leaning forward and giving me a good look at her own cleavage.

"Cala, I can almost see." I warned, quickly averting my eyes.

Her face went red and she covered her chest. "You freaking pervert!" she screamed.

"In what way?" I demanded. Cala's cat ear flattened against her head as she huffed, turning away and walking with the rest of the crowd. I sighed, this was going to be one of those days, then. But still, why was she so mad about me looking at those girls?

_**And done! And yes, Ember is that oblivious. So what do people think? Good? Bad? Not nearly enough? Leave a review with your thoughts, and I'll see everyone next time!**_


	3. Initiation part 1:Partners

_**This story is now on my poll located on my author page. Now without further ado,**_

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Rider's POV

I sighed as I listened to Oscar explain the mission. It was the same as always, apparently. Find the relic in the temple ruins, partner is the first person you lay eyes on, yada yada yada. I did take note of the other initiates. One was the blonde girl from the airship, another was a monkey faunus with a black tail and black hair with some blonde highlights, I noticed a cat faunus that was dressed up in a sexy Mad Hatter outfit, complete with a hat over her left ear. How did she get it to fit in there? Next to her was this mint-haired guy who was talking quietly with Ms Mad Hatter. They seem close. Hope they get on the same team.

I looked the other way, seeing Angel cast a worried glance at me. "Remember the plan." I told her. She nodded, taking a deep breath.

"Um, sir? How will we be getting into the forest?" Vomit Girl asked as people were launched into the forest. I looked toward Angel's side, and I noticed the ginger with a sheathed sword on her belt grin as she prepared for her takeoff. "Okay, that's how, but did you um...pass out parachutes?" Vomit Girl asked as the Cat Hatter was launched.

"No, you'll be making your own landing strategies." Oscar informed us with a very Ozpin-like grin.

Vomit girl gulped before being launched while screaming "Oh crap!" I giggled as I was launched next, flying far into the treeline.

"Trace on." I muttered. A parachute wasn't a bad idea. I think I'm gonna try it. As said device materialized on my back, I pulled the chord and the chute deployed, giving me a smooth landing...other than getting stuck in that tree. Thankfully I dismissed the chute, making it easy to land on the ground and slip into the shadows. Time to find Angel.

Ember's POV

I used Blister and Burn to basically slide against a tree trunk, or rather spin around it, until I hit the forest floor. I whistled, waiting for a response. No luck. Guess she's out of range. I leaped back into the tree, knowing it would be how Cala traveled. She always liked high places. I always teased her it was because she was a cat.

As I moved through the trees, I kept an eye out for any grimm. Not that I really intended to kill any if I could avoid it. I was good, but I may be a little too used to fighting with my best friend watching my back. I really hope she's okay.

Cala's POV

I slashed Dark Past through the hide of a beowolf that had knocked down the tree I was in. How annoying. I looked around, trying to find a branch low enough to jump onto to get back into the treeline. "Hey kitty cat. Looking for someone?" I heard a familiar voice behind me. I rolled my eyes as I turned to face Ember. "Well that was easy." he noted with a grin. "And I saw you remembered where the weak points on that beowolf were. Pretty soon you won't even need me."

"I'll always need ya, Ember." I replied with my own grin. There was really only one partner I could work with, and he had just found me.

Rider's POV

I bit back an annoyed groan. Something was jamming my ECHO's minimap, and I could only see a few meters in any direction. I'd have to come up with something to find Angel before someone else does. "Damn it." I muttered, holding the device to my mouth. "Angel, if you can hear me, I'm north of the ruins, maybe twenty minutes out. What's your 20? Over." I waited, but there was nothing but static. I really should have come up with a plan B incase something like this happened.

That was what my moms always said. Wonder how they're doing? I haven't seen them since I left. Meh, I'm sure they're fine. I kept out of sight, easy for a pro like me who learned the art from the greatest thief in Vale...even if he is retired. Vale just ain't the same without him in charge. Sighing at the thought of my grandpa, I headed toward the ruins. I really hoped Angel was okay.

Angel's POV

Being out in the world is still new to me, even after almost a year of being free. What was really weird, though, was the lack of any technology I could use my powers on in the wild areas like this. Of course I did have the more raw version of my Phase Shift if I ran into anything my guns couldn't handle. I checked the clip of the Inflammatory Aegis that Rider's mother had given me, nodding before putting the clip back into my pistol.

It took surprisingly little time to learn how to shoot, but I'm by no means a marksman. I heard a growl behind me, snapping me out of my thoughts and causing me to whip around, pistol raised as I came face-to-face with a creep, it's red eyes glaring at me. I knew better than to hesitate, and I squeezed the trigger, putting three rounds into the thing's armored head. It screeched at me, and charged. I leaped out of the way, aiming at the thing's eyes and firing again. The blazing bullet found its mark, going through the creature's eye and into its brain, killing it. I watched it dissolve, then flipped open my sunglasses and placed them on my face, attaching the wire from my ECHO as the HUD appeared.

Son of a...witch. That creep got my communicator. Oh well, I can see where Rider is, so I had best get moving. I glanced at my minimap, groaning as I saw another three hostile entities approaching my position. Damn it... I mean darn it. My Aegis won't do the trick, better chose something else. I opened my storage deck, noticing Rider's mom had left me a little present. "Swift Scorpio." I invoked, the assault rifle appearing in my hands in place of the pistol. Heavier than one of my Maliwans, but it'll work. Now to find Rider without dying. Piece of cake...yeah right.

...

Turns out the worst thing in my way was a beowolf that had been separated from its pack, which fell pretty easily when I gave it a taste of Scorpio's burst fire. I glanced at my minimap again. I was getting close. But on the other hand... Rider was surrounded. I searched the treetops for a decent perch, before cursing and switching to my Combustion Hellfire and saying screw it.

I charged in with a yell, firing at the first grimm I saw. "Oh look, Angel's here." I heard Rider joke. Could that woman not take anything seriously? Oh wait, I've met her family. She really can't. Anyway, Rider used one of her various weapons to bisect a beowolf, and I began firing on an ursa who was very mad I had interrupted his meal. It didn't take long, there were only five it turned out, but they all died fairly fast. "So we do get to be partners after all." Rider remarked, grinning at me before her look turned to one of concern. "Your ECHO."

"A creep nicked it. Communication line is down is all." I assured. "I can fix it later."

"You gonna need a hand?" Rider asked. I rolled my eyes and nodded. Rider smiled in reply and gestured to follow her as she headed towards the temple.

Rider's POV

We made good time, all things considered. Only a couple grimm showed up, and they fell to whichever of us spotted it first. And once we got to the ruins, I noticed most of the other partners were getting there too. I saw the mad hatter girl and the boy she was chatting with back on the cliff. Looks like they're partners. Good. I also noticed the black-haired monkey with a rather chipper red-head. And the last duo to arrive was a girl wearing what looked like a stealth suit, her blonde hair in a ponytail and her weapon nowhere in sight. With her was a bubbly orange-haired girl carrying some crossover of a hammer and an ax over her shoulder. That looked heavy. Wait a sec, I recognize that design. I think Mom made it.

Ms Mad Hatter saw us first. "Oh look, it's the girls you were staring at earlier." she noted, glaring at her partner. Wha?

"I told you a million times, Cala, I wasn't staring." her partner sighed.

"Whatever, Ember." the faunus, Cala apparently, huffed.

Okay... I turned my attention to the relics on the pedestals. Gemstones with letters carved in. No, not letters, runes. I took note that there were some missing, probably already found by the other duos from the cliff. I looked around, but none of them jumped out at me. "I can't decide. Which one do you think?" I asked Angel.

She turned to an aquamarine gem with a rune like some kind of fish carved into it. "How about this one?" she asked. I shrugged and picked it up, pocketing the gem. I think that's about when we heard the five screeches above us. I looked up and cursed. Two Nevermores, two griffons, and a freaking chimera.

Only one thing to say at this point. "Trace on."

_**And done! Well, what did people think? Good? Bad? Not enough? Leave a review with your thoughts and I'll see everyone next time!**_


	4. Initiation part 2: Teams

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Ember's POV

No sooner than had the catgirl in the red jacket spoken than the grimm above us attacked. I activated Blister and Burn, firing the guns as Cala retreated into the shadows of the temple.

"These things are older ones. They're seriously armored." I heard Eclipse warn. Shit.

"Not a problem." the girl with the tattoos replied, and I heard bullets begin to fly all around us. "Hellfire isn't injuring it, Rider." she warned her partner. Seriously? If she has those tracing powers I would have expected her to pick a nickname like Archer. Not the time, Ember. I activated my semblance, looking over the nevermore trying to divebomb us. "It's got a gap in its chestplate!" I shouted.

"Well that's all fine and dandy, but it's not much help if we can't reach the damned thing!" the blonde girl shouted.

A multicolored flash and the nevermore screeched as it dissolved. I smirked. Direct hit. As usual, Cala comes through. She skidded to a halt next to me and flashed me a grin, gripping Dark Past with one hand as she leaped forward on the approaching griffon. Looks like she's targeting the underbelly, good. That was a great spot.

"Look out!" the cheerful ginger girl warned, her backpack opening to reveal a circle of swords. Oh, that's Summer Rose then. I smirked at having the daughter of the legendary huntress duo in this fight, but it was quickly replaced with the worry for my partner as I saw a Nevermore divebombing her as she killed the griffon. She didn't have time to recover.

"A...en .y …od"

A second Nevermore smashed into the first, and they both began angrily squawking at each other. Not one to look a gift-horse in the mouth, I fired at both while Cala retreated. One flew off into the sun, escaping while the other turned its attention on us again.

Rider's POV

I cursed. I had hoped for a few more seconds to take that damned bird out, but it couldn't be helped. "We need to separate them." I called.

"On it!" the blonde called back, making a mad dash for the living griffon. Her partner and the red and black duo followed as the nevermore gave chase. Guess that leaves the chimera for the four of us.

"Trace on." I commanded, my bow appearing in my hand. "Trace on." I muttered again, a sword appearing before becoming more arrow-like. "Pin it down and I can kill it." I informed.

"Got it." Ember replied, his golden eyes turning red. "Cala, the wing joints are vulnerable." he informed.

"Got it." Cala nodded, into the shadows. Wow that's cool.

Ember began shooting at the chimera to get its attention, but that's all his bullets would do. That was an Elder Chimera after all. It's defensive rank was about a B and from what I've seen, Ember's damage output isn't higher than a C rank at best guess. I just hoped I wouldn't have to save those two again. A blur of color, and one of the chimera's wings fell to the earth. How the hell?

Meh, not important. As the chimera fell to the earth, its one wing doing little to cushion its fall, I grinned. "Caldabolg." I called, nuking the damned thing. Nothing was left.

"Come on! We need to check on Eclipse and his group!" Ember called, running after the other group.

Eclipse's POV

I backflipped out of the way of one of the Fatal Feathers, trying to come up with something to win. "Hey Summer, got any cool tricks up your sleeve?" I asked hopefully.

"I'm not a terminator, if that's what you mean." she replied, using her swords to deflect the feathers coming for her.

Crap. "Hope Ember's not in too much trouble." I muttered, thinking of my pal. That did look like an Elder Chimera he was taking on. We weren't near that level yet, even if we were all trained by some of the people who brought down Salem. I jumped out of the way of the griffon's claw when I noticed the hammer girl, Melody if I remember her partner's call correctly, brought the hammer-half of her weapon into the grimm's stomach, sending it flying up.

"Now die!" Melody grinned, leaping after it as she brought the ax-half of her weapon straight through the thing, cutting it in half.

"Wow." I gasped.

"Yeah, she's kinda powerful. That hammer-ax actually saved me from a king taiju. It's how we ended up becoming partners." her partner informed me, gripping her sash. What is she-holy shit that is awesome! Her sash is a glow-whip! And she whipped it right at a Fatal Feather that almost skewered me.

"Thanks. Now it's my turn to show off." I grinned, slamming my fists together. Two clones of me appeared and the three of us leaped forward, flicking my wrists and flipping my daggers into a ready position. My first clone gave the second a boost, then me right after. The second clone gave me more altitude, but it wasn't enough. Guess I needed all three. Summoning my third clone, I locked wrists with the hansom devil and we spun before he let me go, sending me right into the nevermore's face. I smirked, shoving the blades into its eyes and pressing the buttons on the butt of each dagger, sending a nasty electric shock through the thing's whole system. It began dissolving, and I leaped right into the make-shift safety net my clones made as they hit the ground.

"Hey Eclipse! You still alive, dumbass?" I heard a familiar voice call.

"I was just about to ask you the same thing, smartass." I replied turning with a grin to see Ember approaching with the three who helped him with the chimera. "Wait, did you bring that thing with you?" I asked worriedly. I had kinda used up my shock dust on the Nevermore.

"Nope, redcoat over there killed it after Cala cut off one of its wings." Ember explained, pointing a thumb behind him. Sweet.

Rider's POV

I bit back a bored sigh as I watched one of the other teams, CRLN I think, got its name and team leader, a brutish-looking guy named Cardinal. The four who fought with us at the ruins came on stage next. "Eclipse Wukong, Leia Xiao Long, Lie Melody, Summer Rose, the four of you retreaved the red runestone." Oscar declared, somewhat overly formal in my opinion but whatever. "From today forward, you will be known as Team ELMS, lead by Eclipse Wukong."

"Led by?" Eclipse gasped, pointing at himself dumbly.

"It's official, Oscar's crazy." Ember laughed beside me. I shot him a strange look. "He'd have to be to put that dumbass in charge of a team!" he defended lamely. I decided I didn't care enough as I led the way onto the stage with Angel, Ember, and Cala.

"And finally, Miss Rider, Angel Clarke, Ember Fall, and Calaco Kat. The four of you retrieved the blue runestone. From this moment on, you will be known as Team RACE led by Miss Rider." My eyes widened. Well I certainly wasn't expecting that. "Congratulations, young lady." Oscar said with what I could only describe as a fatherly smile while I led my new team off the stage.

"So, fearless leader," Angel said humorously, "What's your first order?"

"To find our room so we can get settled in." I replied indifferently, checking my scroll. "Then to let me have a look at your ECHO so we can get it fixed." Angel, Ember, and Cala laughed, but I just kinda looked at them blankly before figuring it's one of those things I just didn't understand and led the way to the room.

_**And done! Now, I'm sure it's obvious from some of the last names, but let me make it clear beyond a shadow of a doubt. Eclipse is Blake and Sun's kid. I picked the name since I knew other than Blacksun, that was their ship name. Summer is Ruby and Penny's kid, named after the former's late mother. Leia is Ilia and Yang's brat, and I just came up with her name while trying to make the team name work. And Melody, Nora and Ren's kid with more of her mother than her father in her, was just something I went with cause it felt right.**_

_**Rider's true name will be revealed later on, probably when Crimson shows up for real, and it will be explained why she's hiding it. I took inspiration for Angel's last name from looking at Hansome Jack's voice actor and took the last name. Google it, it's a thing. Ember is, if you didn't realize, is Cinder and Emerald's kid. And as for Cala… we're actually going to be getting into that soon.**_

_**If you want to know how these kids are possible, I refer you to Catgirl Gamer chapter 73 toward the beginning of said chapter. And remind you the Black Cat of Beacon is a bit of a mad scientist.**_

_**Other than that, what did you guys think? Good? Bad? Not enough? Leave a review with your thoughts and I'll see everyone next time!**_


	5. Cala's Secret

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Rider's POV

My team and I sat at one of the lunch tables, looking over the homework we had already gotten even though classes had only started a week ago. I groaned. "This is so boring! Why should we have to learn this stuff if we're going to be killing grimm?" I complained, throwing my history homework onto the pile.

"Because whoever doesn't learn from history is destined to repeat it?" Ember supplied. I glared at me teammate, but it was a half-hearted attempt.

Footsteps caught my attention before a voice spoke. "Um, hey. Is it alright if I sit here?" I turned to see Vomit Girl looking at us rather nervously. Time to think of it, I don't remember seeing her during initiation. Next to her was a black-haired guy wearing a long coat that hid his entire body. I couldn't get a read on the guy. He just regarded us coldly. Were his eyes red?

"I don't mind." Angel shrugged. I gestured for them to have a seat, and both did. "I'm Angel, nice to meet you." my partner introduced.

"I'm Joan." Vomit girl introduced, turning to who I guess was her partner. "This is-"

"Itachi." the guy introduced.

I raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything as Melody appeared and kinda… glomped him. "Hey bro!" she greeted, taking a seat next to him. "How's it going?"

"Well enough." Itachi replied curtly. Melody pouted before turning toward Joan and introducing herself.

"Meldoy! Don't just bolt off like that!" I heard someone call. The rest of Team ELMS appeared from the crowd who was trying to find a place to sit. Eclipse gave his teammate an unamused look, which she returned with a smile.

"Lighten up, Eclipse! It's our first day, everyone's excited!" Summer replied, ever cheerful. Pretty soon our homework was put away and RACE and ELMS were chatting like old friends. Well, Angel, Ember, and Cala were chatting while I just listened.

"Hey Joan, where's the rest of your team?" Melody asked after a while.

"Heh heh heh." Joan laughed nervously. "Well, it's actually just me and Itachi here. Guess there weren't enough applicants to make one more team."

"It doesn't matter." Itachi declared. "Come what may, I will crush any opponent." I shivered at the cold tone of the mysterious guy. He was starting to remind me of another guy with that name.

"Well what's that going to mean when you start going on missions?" Angel asked.

"I heard a couple students are transferring to Beacon, maybe they'll be the other half of your team?" Leia suggested.

"I guess." Joan shrugged. "But until then, it's me and Itachi against the world." she added, throwing an arm around her partner's shoulders, which he quickly shrugged off. The chatting continued.

...

I listened to Goodwitch explain the rules of combat class. I kinda tuned her out since I knew all this already, and I noticed most of my team doing the same. Only Angel, ever the perfect student, was paying attention. "Now to get a handle on your skills, as well as how well you adapt to an unfavorable scenario, I'm going to set the selection to complete random. Entire teams may be called against one student, or another team. Such as it goes."

"Don't you think that's throwing us into the deep end a bit too soon?" I asked. I wasn't worried about myself, I could take a pack of Ursa Majors without much issue, but I don't think many have my experience.

"You won't have the luxury of choosing how many enemies you encounter in the real world. I am simply preparing you for it." Goodwitch replied coldly. I shrugged and watched the dial spin. "Now the first match-up will be..." she began, the first pictures popping up being Ember and Cala's. "Ember Fall and Calaco Kat vs..." the next picture to pop up was Cardinal's. "Cardinal Winchester." My ears flattened at the boy's last name. I know Momma castrated that bastard, so he didn't reproduce. Maybe a younger sibling? I guess it's possible. If the kid was an infant at the time of Salem's defeat.

Cardinal gave a sadistic grin as he heaved his mace onto his armored shoulder. "Alright, let's see what the little animal and her boyfriend are capable of." he taunted.

"He's not my boyfriend!" Cala shouted, turning red in the face. Oh? Looks like I can have some fun later.

"And don't call Cala an animal." Ember added, his wrist blades deploying and his eyes turning red. I smirked as I remembered our conversation this morning.

_Five hours ago_

_"So your semblance is you can see the weak points on any opponent? And that's why your eyes turn red?" I asked._

_"Yeah. That's about right." Ember replied, pulling the curtain hiding his partner from the world aside. "Cala, time to wake up." he whispered._

_"What about her semblance?" Angel asked, checking the clip of her Aegis out of habit._

_"Hers is the ability to cut through any weak point she knows of already." Ember explained as he passed her hat into the little den Cala had made out of the bunk beds._

_"So when you were calling out those random things about the grimm the other day!" I realized. "Damn, that's badass."_

_"The perfect duo." Angel agreed._

_Present time_

The battle began and Ember spoke. "I can't see much from the front, just a small chink in the breastplate. Let me circle around." he said quickly, firing his guns. Cala nodded, backing up as Ember ran in a circle around his opponent. Cardinal just rushed toward Cala.

To my fellow faunus' credit, she didn't panic. She just dodged the heavy swing, unsheathing Dark Past and slashing it across his arm before retreating to her partner's side. "Did you see anything?" she asked. Ember began muttering to where I couldn't hear, and Cala nodded, holding her weapon at the ready.

Ember engaged first, swinging Blister and Burn in a flurry of steel, some of it cutting through Cardinal's aura, most of it being blocked by the surprisingly agile boy's mace. "Come on, that the best you got?" Cardinal taunted, kicking his opponent away before swinging behind him and hitting Cala square in the jaw as she tried a sneak attack. "And no animal is gonna get the drop on me!" he mocked as she fell to the floor, the chord on her hat snapping and the hat itself falling away. There were a large amount of gasps, and Cala looked confused, until she saw the hat on the ground. Then she looked horrified as she grabbed it. "Hey! We're still in a fight here!" Cardinal snapped.

"Shut up." Ember shouted, smashing Blister into the boy's head, knocking him out. Cala looked at Ember... and bolted out the door.

"Professor?" I asked.

"Approved." Goodwitch replied. And as the three of us gave chase, I realized I had my answer on how Cala fit her other ear into that hat. She didn't. She _didn't have an ear on that side of her head._

Cala's POV

I ran. I didn't know where I was going, but I ran all the same. I had to find somewhere secluded, where I could retie the chord. _But it doesn't matter._ a voice in my head whispered. _They've already seen._ I shook my head to clear the thought, but I knew it was right. They had seen. They had seen where my left cat ear was supposed to be but wasn't.

I ended up collapsing against a tree in the courtyard, fumbling with my hat so I could get it on before someone came looking for me. Oh who am I kidding? Ember is probably already searching the whole campus for me. He knows how sore a subject my ear is. "Cala!" I heard behind me. Speak of the devil. I turned to see Ember walking up to me, Rider and Angel close behind.

"No!" I shrieked. All of them flinched. "I-I don't want them to see." I explained quickly. To my surprise, and absolute relief, Rider nodded, grabbing Angel's arm and gently pulling her back.

Ember approached me, alone. He held out a hand, but I ran right into his chest and cried. "It's alright, Cala. I've got you." he whispered, stroking my hair. I don't know how long we stayed like that, but we separated and Ember took the hat from my numb fingers. "We've got to find something more resilient for the chord, Can't have it snapping again." he joked. I gave a weak laugh as he finished tying the chord, smiling as he held it up. "There we go," he smiled, slipping the hat onto my head, right where it always is. "All better."

My smile fell. "But it's not. So many saw."

"Yeah, but things like this die down pretty fast." Rider informed, approaching carefully with Angel. "And if anyone gives you trouble, feel free to put Dark Past where the sun don't shine. Leader's orders."

I laughed again. "Thanks, Rider." I said.

"Come on, we should get back to class before Goodwitch sounds the alarm." Angel joked. Everyone laughed as we started walking back to class.

"H-hey guys." I tried to call. Everyone glanced at me. "About my ear." I began.

"You don't have to tell us if you don't want to." Rider cut in. I looked at her in astonishment. "We all have secrets we don't want others knowing. Now come on. I wanna see if Ember knocked out any of Cardinal's teeth with that blow." she added, running ahead.

"Hey! No fair!" Angel laughed, following her leader.

Ember took my hand, causing me to blush slightly. "Come on." he said kindly, "Let's catch up." I nodded, and we all ran to get back to our class. The stares when we got back still upset me, but no one said a word. I smiled as I looked at my teammates, offering their silent support.

I could get used to this.

_**And done! Well, we've started a bit of a character arc. I don't know how exactly I'm going to do things from here, but hey! Wouldn't be much fun if I knew ahead of time, right? Anyway, how was it? Good? Bad? Leave a review with your thoughts and I'll see everyone next time!**_


	6. Cala's past Rider's mission

_**Okay, I think I have something. Fans of Flynt Coal and Neon Kat may want to skip this chapter. You've been warned.**_

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Cala's POV

I woke with a yawn, reaching for my hat next to my bed. It had been almost a month since the incident with Cardinal, and while he had picked on me the first couple days and rumors about my ear had spread across the school like wildfire, well... the bullying was taken care of when Melody broke Cardinal's legs, and Itachi, though I don't know how, got everyone to stop talking about it.

I had to admit, having friends who would back me up was kinda nice. Well, friends other than Ember that is. Speaking of my pillar of strength, I checked around the room to see where he had gone. The lack of curtain made it rather easy, as I had gotten rid of it last week.

Why you may ask? Because I started trusting Rider and Angel after that day in the courtyard. They never pried, never even looked unless I told them it was okay when I wasn't wearing my hat. They knew the boundary, and they respected it. So, as you can imagine, that respect made me decide I could at least trust them not to stare like so many others. Still, I glanced at the hat by my side. I felt the familiar urge to put it on. To hide the dark reminder of my past. But I shoved it down. I could trust these people. I didn't have to hide. I repeated those words in my head as I saw Ember. He was writing something, but his back was to me so I didn't really know what. My curiosity satisfied, I returned to my book.

Rider's POV

I sighed as I looked over one of the questions. After a minute of staring at the same question, I groaned. "I don't get this!" I complained.

"What's not to get?" Angel asked, looking over my shoulder. "It's the fight against Salem. No offense, but I would think this part is rather important to you."

"Hey, I'm worried about Crimson. Not Salem." I defended.

"Crimson?" I heard from the next bed over. I glanced over to Cala, who had her book in a white-knuckle grip. "As in Crimson Mist?" she asked.

My ears stood up in interest. "Yeah, the Demon Gamer as he's known." I replied.

Cala laughed dryly. "I guess being concerned about him is understandable. He's a fucking monster. I should know."

"What do you mean?" I asked catiously. Could it be? An actual lead on Crimson Mist?

"Because that bastard and his sick girlfriend killed my parents." she hissed, grabbing her hat and holding it up to me. "And he did this to me."

"Cala?" Ember asked in concern.

"Oh what? They haven't asked a single question, though I'm sure they have plenty. Besides, if I can't trust my teammates, who can I trust?" Cala asked, but something was wrong. She was smiling that cruel smile I sometimes saw on Momma when she got her "itch." I wasn't sure I liked it on my teammate. "I was six when it happened." Cala began. "I don't know why he came to my house, but I do remember I was listening to my dad play his trumpet. It was always my favorite thing to do after school." Cala laughed bitterly. "They didn't even break down the door like you see in movies. The just appeared from some golden portal."

"The Gate of Babylon." I muttered.

"So that's what it's called?" Cala asked like she was genuinely curious. "Well, anyway, Dad blasted his trumpet on weapon mode at them, but Crimson just laughed as his girlfriend surrounded him in some giant heat bubble that melted off his flesh." My eyes widened. I knew this story.

"And when your mother came in to see what was happening, Crimson cut off her head and licked the blood off his sword." I continued. Cala looked at me in shock. "You're Flynt and Neon's daughter. My moms and my aunt and uncle have been looking for you for a long time."

"Aunt and uncle?" Angel asked. "You mean Mercury and Kya?" I nodded. Now it made sense. I had seen the pictures. Mom didn't want me to but I stole them from her desk. The one cat ear on the ground near the boiled corpse of Flynt Coal and the decapitated Neon Kat. It took me hours to get the stink of vomit out of my room.

"So I guess you know already." Cala said with another bitter laugh. "That's why I'm here. I have to get stronger. And I when I'm powerful enough, I'll kill Crimson Mist." she declared with that same sadistic smile.

Ember nodded. "And I'll help however I can." he added.

"Not if I get him first." I replied coldly. "Since we share a common enemy, I suppose I should introduce myself properly." I decided, hopping off the bed.

"Rider, are you sure?" Angel asked.

"Absolutely." I replied. "My name is Rebecca Rouge, and I am the daughter of Allison N Rouge, the Black Cat of Beacon, as well as her greatest weapon." I introduced. Ember and Cala's eyes widened. "So come on everyone, let's get stronger, and beat Crimson Mist into...well, crimson mist." Everyone laughed at my little joke, ant the tense atmosphere of Cala's past and my identity was dispersed. "Alright, let's get back to work. There's a lot to do if we're going to beat the Demon Gamer." I ordered. Everyone nodded, returning to what they were doing.

Unknown POV

I grinned as I smacked away a guard. "You're a hard man to find." I greeted the man in the cell.

"What do you want?" the man inside replied coldly.

"To bust you out, to give you a chance at revenge, to take back the glory that was robbed from you." I listed off. "What do you say, Adam?" I asked.

The bull faunus stepped forward, and I swear I heard Lionized start to play as he looked at me. "What's in it for you?" he asked.

"Your enemies are my enemies. I just thought we could help each other." I reasoned. "So?" I asked. Adam smirked, nodding. I sliced open the lock to his cell before handing him his Wilt and Blush.

"Well, we have what we came for." a female voice came from beside me. I smiled in sadistic glee as I turned to my girlfriend, kissing her. "Is it finally time?" she asked hopefully.

"Not yet." I replied, causing her to pout. "Soon, my love. I promise." I assured, poking her nose and causing her to giggle.

_**And done! I did warn you. Although now I'm sure some things make sense. Now before people ask, yes Team ANTI will be making appearences, as well as RWBY, JNPR, the Fall Trio, and maybe Qrow, but I doubt it. So what did people think? Good? Bad? Oh shit, Adam is free? Leave a review with your thoughts and I'll see everyone next time!**_

_**PS. I know I'm moving a bit fast, deal with it.**_


	7. Guest Speakers

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Rider's POV

I was sitting at the lunch table when I heard the news. "Adam Taurus? That psycho faunus who betrayed the White Fang?" I asked.

"Yeah." Eclipse nodded. "Someone broke him out of prison. Killed everyone else in the building too so there weren't any witnesses. Only reason anyone knows what happened is because the Atlas Army is involved after a guard came into work off a sick day."

"Bet he's happy he was sick." I muttered, mulling over the information. Who would be dumb enough to bust Adam out of prison? And why now? Why not years ago? I mulled over what I had been told while the conversation moved to grimm studies.

"And I heard we're going to have a special guest speaker." Joan was saying. My ears flicked in interest. "Don't know who though. Everyone's saying its one of the hunters from the battle against Salem, though. Which means most likely one or more of us is going to be seriously embarrassed."

"What do you mean?" Angel asked.

"Think about it. Other than you, everyone at this table is related to someone from the battle. My guess? It's gonna be Yang." I pointed out, pointedly ignoring everyone giving me weird looks.

"Wh-what makes you think it's gonna be Mom?" Leia asked nervously.

"It's just a guess, nothing more." I replied with a wave. "And I happen to know she and Ilia are in Vale on business."

"How do you know that?" Itachi asked, regarding me with his artic gaze.

"Yang Xiao Long doesn't come into town without someone hearing about it." Ember replied with a long-suffering sigh. "I've heard some similar rumors. And... my moms called to say those two were bunking at my house." The table burst into laughter. "Oh shut up!" Ember groaned.

...

Turned out it was History Class with Oobleck that our guest speaker made her appearance. The doors burst open and in stepped the energetic woman with blond hair down to her ankles. Seriously, how does she manage all that hair? "Heya party people! Yang in the house!" she greeted with a sunny smile.

"Miss Xiao Long, you were supposed to be here twenty seconds ago!" Oobleck snapped, glaring at the blonde brawler.

"Still a stickler for schedule I see, Oobleck." Yang chuckled before turning to the class. "So, your tech here wanted me to come talk to you guys about the fight with Salem. Guess he couldn't get a hold of anyone else." she joked, causing most of the class to laugh, but thanks to sitting right behind her, I noticed Leia try to make herself as small as possible.

What's her problem? Oh wait, if Mom stepped into the room like that I'd probably react the same way. "Yang, please stay focused." I heard a slightly more mature voice plead. I looked up to see who I was pretty sure was Ilia walk into the room, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Honestly, it's like you're still their age." she complained.

"Hey, you know you love it, honey." Yang replied, grin still in place. "Besides, I remember you giving me a _schooling_ last night that made Cinder and Emerald complain."

"Yang!" Ilia shouted, her color shifting to pink as the students laughed. Leia attempted to shrink further. "Anyway, Doctor Oobleck asked us to come in to talk about the battle to defeat Salem."

Someone rose their hand. Yang smiled and called on him. "Were you scared taking on the queen of the grimm?" he asked.

"Not at all." Yang replied.

"She was terrified, we all were." Ilia corrected. Everyone laughed again and another student raised his hand. "Yes, you in the back?"

"Is it true that the White Fang worked with Atlas Military?" he asked, and I recognized the voice. Cardinal.

"Yes, we all worked to beat the mutual threat to us all." Ilia responded curtly.

"Can't believe Atlas was willing to work with a bunch of animals." he muttered, plenty loud enough for the class to hear him as he leaned back in his chair.

CRACK! Cardinal yelped as he fell back, knocking his head against the floor in his attempt to get away from the sword tip buried in his desk. Ilia pulled on Rainbow Fang's hilt, snapping her sword back into its sword mode and sheathing it in one fluid motion. "Any other questions?"

"What was it like, working with the Black Cat of Beacon?" I heard Itachi ask. Didn't his parents talk about Mom?

Ilia laughed. "It was a thrill-ride for sure, but I can't say I'd like to repeat some of the things we did with her, but the Boss was a great leaderup to the point she and her wife closed themselves off in Sanctuary a couple months ago."

"Wasn't that just after the last hunt they tagged along with us on?" Yang asked, glancing at her wife.

"Yeah, now that you mention it." Ilia muttered.

Another student chimed in. "Is it true that there's another person like the Black Cat out there?"

Cala stiffened, I struggled not to growl, and Yang and Ilia's faces darkened. "Yes. Crimson Mist." Yang answered darkly. "If you ever encounter him, do yourselves a favor, and run. If you fight him, it's only a matter of time until he kills you." The room fell silent for a few seconds.

Then Angel raised her hand. "I know this is a bit farther back than the final battle, but is it true that you helped prevent the fall of Haven and Atlas?" I sighed in relief as Yang answered affirmatively, blowing her role out of proportion and Ilia correcting her.

...

"I'm glad that's over." Leia sighed as ELMS, Joan and Itachi, and my own RACE walked back to our dormrooms.

"What's the matter?" Eclipse asked, hands on the back of his head. "It's not like they called you out during class. I was kind of expecting Aunt Yang to in any event."

"I thought it would be a little too embarrassing if I did that." came a familiar voice from behind us. Leia yelped as her mother picked her up in a bear hug. "Heya kiddo. You glad to see your mom?"

"Mom! Put me down!" Leia squealed. "And we both know you didn't call me out because Mommy threatened to withhold sex if you did."

"Our daughter knows us well, Yang." Ilia giggled, appearing from behind her wife's larger frame. "Now put her down. I want to meet her new friends." the chameleon ordered.

As soon as Leia's feet touched the ground, she leaped away from her mom as if the blonde brawler was on fire. She wasn't at the time though. "Not really new. The only ones I didn't know before Beacon are Rider and Angel." Leia muttered, pointing to me and my partner.

"Hey, you look like Allie's gi-"Yang noticed, only for me to put a hand over her mouth and shush her.

"We don't know who's listening." I warned urgently. Yang nodded as I removed my hand. "Rider, leader of Team RACE. Nice to meet you." I greeted.

_**And done! Well, that went better than I expected. Also updates may slow to a crawl here soon due to some at-home stuff, which means it's gonna be even worse than my writer's block episodes. So... I guess leave a review and I'll hopefully see you soon.**_


	8. Nightmare and Day off

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Rider's POV

I think it was about three in the morning I heard the stirring next to me. Having gotten used to it a long time ago, my eyes snapped open and I was at my partner's side in an instant. "N-no! Not again!" Angel gasped, writhing in her sleep.

I shook her roughly. "Angel, wake up! You're having another nightmare!" I hissed. My Siren partner's eyes flew open, and she shot out of bed, gasping. I pulled her into a hug, and she began crying. "It's alright, Angel. I've got you. You're safe." I whispered into her ear as she cried into my shoulder.

"What's all the ruckus?" Ember asked, sitting up sleepily. He looked over and took in our position. "Got it. Going back to bed now." he informed before crashing. Were it not for the crying beauty in my arms, I might have giggled a bit.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" I asked, not loosening my grip. Angel just shook her head against me, and I nodded. "Need to take a walk?" I asked. Another shake of the head. "Do you wanna try going back to sleep?" was my third question.

Angel nodded, laying back onto her bed. I stood to go back to mine, but her hand shot out and grabbed my wrist. "Don't let him get me." she pleaded. I smiled tenderly, climbing into bed and holding Angel close.

"He'll never get you. I promise." I whispered, pressing a small kiss to her temple. Angel relaxed in my arms, and we both drifted off to sleep not too long after.

...

I let out a relieved sigh. "Finally done." I grinned, happy to put the homework Angel had insisted we all do down.

"That was the worst." Cala complained, throwing her own work down. "It was so boring! Let's go do something!"

"What do you have in mind?" Ember asked, setting down the book he had been reading he apparently got on loan from Eclipse, who stole it from his mother. He had been the second to finish his work.

"How about a trip to Vale? It is the weekend, and it's not like we have anything else to do." Angel, the first done, suggested.

"Ooh! We can stop by Season's Greetings Bakery while we're there!" Cala suggested.

"I do remember Mom wanted us to visit with our teammates." Ember muttered. We were off in the next few minutes.

Getting to Vale proved very easy, and we began wandering the city, thought I noticed Ember looked more and more reserved as we approached a bakery by a small park while Cala looked more and more enthusiastic.

Ember's POV

We entered Season's Greetings, the bell jingling as the door opened. As usual, it was packed full of hungry customers. "Should've known." Cala sighed.

"Hey guys!" I heard a familiar voice call. We looked over to see Yang wearing the store's apron as she came over. "Kinda full right now, but I'm sure I can find you a table." she offered.

"Thanks, Aunt Yang." I sighed. "And could you let my moms know we're here?" I requested, Yang leading us to a table she had, by the looks of it, just finished cleaning.

"Sure thing. In the meantime, why don't you look over the menu?" The blonde huntress suggested, handing us each a menu. I decided not to point out I worked here every day after school. I knew this thing inside and out.

"I'm surprised to see Yang here, working in a bakery of all places." Angel noted, glancing over her own menu.

"Probably payment for crashing here. Mom is like that." I replied, spotting my favorite muffin platter near the bottom. Ilia came by next, and we placed our orders, waiting.

"So, what do we want to do after this?" Rider asked.

"Well, the park nearby is lovely this time of year." Cala suggested. "It could make for a great walk."

I couldn't help but notice the tinge of pink in both our leader and the siren's face as they thought that over. "I-I think it might be fun." Angel inputted.

"A-are you sure?" Rider asked, glancing at her partner. Wait, were those two? Nah. It wasn't possible. "Ember?" I snapped out of my thoughts and nodded. "Alright, guess we'll go to the park later for a little walk." Wow, I think this is the first time I've seen her flustered.

"Well well, if it isn't my dear son and my daughter-in-law." came a sultry, and teasing voice I knew all too well as I turned red as a tomato.

"MOM!" I groaned.

_**And done! Sorry this took so long. I was getting down to the wire on my Rose of Berserk fic, and I needed to focus. Plus I'm actually working now, so things are getting slow in the writing department, unfortunately. But... what did you guys think? Good? Bad? Not enough? Leave a review and I'll see everyone next time!**_


	9. Day off Part 2: Park walk

_**Time for a small Fall Family cameo. I used that term correctly, right?**_

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Cinder's POV

Yang had, of course, alerted me to the presence of my son and his friends in the bakery. So, armed with the knowledge of which table they were at, I couldn't help but mess with him and his rather obvious crush on his partner. "Well well, if it isn't my son and my daughter-in-law." I teased.

Ember whipped around to face me, as red as a tomato. "MOM!" he groaned, earning a couple giggles from the two girls I didn't recognize and an averted gaze from Cala.

"Oh come on, you know I'm only teasing." I laughed. "I still have a bit of work to do, but I wanted to come by and say hi. As well as invite you and your friends to a walk around the park after we close."

"That sounds great. We were actually planning on doing that later anyway." The girl with the tatooes agreed. She looked kinda familiar, but from where? "And what's this about Cala being your daughter-in-law? I mean I've noticed something in the last couple weeks but I didn't know they had gotten that far." I liked this one.

"Angel, don't encourage her, please!" Cala squeaked, covering her red face with her hands.

"We close in a couple hours. In the meantime, why don't you guys check out the nearby arcade once you're done?" I suggested, hearing someone call from another table.

Rider's POV

Well, meeting the current Fall Maiden was rather enjoyable, and it seems even Ember's mother ships my teammates together. I mean, it's freaking obvious that Cala has a crush on Ember, now if only she could say so. _But you know exactly how it feels to be rejected._ a small voice chided me. Shut up, you! Not everyone is in my situation. "Come on, slowpokes!" I laughed, dropping my stoic façade for today. "It'll be dark by the time we're done if you don't pick up the pace!"

"It's only isx!" Angel called back, her tone laced with humor as she gave chase. "In early fall!" she added. I just giggled as I ran from my partner. Of course, Angel had always been faster than me in a dead run, and tackled me to the ground while laughing.

That's when the tickling began. Little known fact about me, I'm extremely ticklish. "MERCY!" I laughed, trying to roll away from the siren.

"I don't think so." Angel grinned, continuing her assault on my sides. "This is payback for last month with my French fries!" she declared as I tried to roll away in vain.

"T-t-t-trace on!" I gasped out between my laughs. "Enkidu!" the chains grabbed Angel's wrists and let me get out from under her and into a sitting position. I quickly dismissed the chains, trying to get my breath back. "Y-you almost killed me there, Ang." I gasped.

"Don't steal my food." she replied unrepentantly.

"Worse than Mom and her chicken." I muttered, glancing to see the others approaching.

Angel did to, and took notice of how her hand was over mine. So that's why it felt so warm. We both turned a little red at the intimate moment before Angel stood. "I'm going to get a quick drink." she informed me.

"K, don't take too long." I replied, somewhat subdued. Great, now she'd withdraw for the next couple days. As she walked off, I felt more than saw Cala crouch next to me. "Yes?" I asked mildly.

"You like her." she stated plainly.

"No. I love her." I corrected, turning to the Fall family, who's eyes were wide at my easy admission. "What? I came to terms with that a while ago." I shrugged.

"You should tell her." Emerald suggested, causing me to flinch at a particularly painful memory. "I can tell you from experience that her reply might surprise you."

"Yeah, you should totally tell her!" Ember agreed enthusiastically. I didn't want to hear that coming from him.

"I did." I muttered. "She rejected me." The conversation quickly died, and I felt the tears begin to build up. I remembered our conversation well.

_Three weeks before Beacon_

_"H-hey, Angel?" I stuttered, rubbing my hands together. _No more running. Just tell her._ I coached myself. _

_My partner paused, glancing around the park we were walking in to make sure no one was listening before responding, "Yeah Becky?" I swear, she's the only one who can get away with calling me that._

_"I...I have something to tell you."_ _I started, taking a breath. Don't chicken out, Don't chicken out,__ Don't chicken out, "I- I'm in love with you."_

_Angel froze like a deer in headlights, not moving an inch. It was probably only a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity before she responded. "I-I'm sorry. I can't." she managed to answer._

_I felt tears in my eyes. "Th-that's alright." I lied. "I just wanted to tell you."_

_"I'm sorry." Angel repeated. "But... but I still want to be friends. Is that okay?" she asked anxiously._

_I nodded. "I don't have to be in your heart, as long as I have a place by your side." I replied honestly. Damn it, I thought I was ready for her to turn me down! Is it supposed to hurt this much? "C-come on. Mom and Mommy are waiting for us back home." I reminded, the two of us opening a Path and heading home._

_Present time_

"We're sorry, we didn't know." Cinder apologized, everyone else nodding along.

"It's alright, but I'd appreciate it if you guys didn't bring it up anymore." I replied, fighting back tears. Yep, still hurts. But I meant what I said that day. I was okay not being in her heart.

"I'm back!" Angel called, running up to us and holding out a soda can for me. "Cherry Dr. Pepper, I know how much you love it." she informed. I smiled, thanking her as I grabbed the can.

The rest of the walk passed comfortably enough. After we were done, we parted with Cinder and Emerald at the bakery with a promise to visit again, and we all headed back to Beacon.

Haven Academy Gardens

? POV

I came face-to-face with a statue of a burly man who's face was twisted into an angry yell. "Adam, the thing I asked you to hold onto?" I requested, holding my hand out to my faunus companion.

"Here you go." the bull replied, handing me the vial.

I smiled, opening the Soft and applying it to the statue. The effect was almost instant as the stone became flesh. "Been a while, Hazel." I greeted.

"Crimson." he greeted me coldly. "Any particular reason you decided to pull me out now?"

"Your mission to destroy Ozpin isn't over, and it lines up nicely with my own goals." I explained. "I'd welcome the chance to work together again." I added, holding out my hand.

_**And done! Well, what did you guys think? Good? Bad? Not enough? As for the RiderxAngel, I'm honestly not sure if I'm going to keep it one-sided like it is now, I'll be starting a poll on my profile page as soon as this chapter is posted. Other than that, I guess leave a review and tell me what you thought, and I'll see everyone next time!**_


	10. Rider's anger: Part 1

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Rider's POV

It had been about a week since we had gone to visit Ember's parents, and classes had almost finished, except for one. I grinned as I walk-ran to combat class. "Slow down, Rider!" Ember groaned. "We're already going to be the first ones there. No need to rush any faster."

"Seriously!" Cala complained. "I swear, you're such a battle maniac."

"Have you forgotten who her mothers are?" Angel asked, chuckling at my antics. "Discounting the more famous of the two, she does have Neo Politan's blood in her veins."

"She makes a compelling point." Ember admitted, hearing someone approach behind the team. "And here are the others. Your sneaking still needs work, dumbass!" he called behind him.

"I do not sneak!" Eclipse protested, approaching RACE with his own team in tow. "Any idea what combat class is gonna be today? I heard Goodwitch is planning to put full teams against one student in all the matches."

My ears flicked toward the conversation behind me. That could be... interesting. I knew from some training days in the Emerald Forest (unsanctioned of course, fight the power!) that our entire group could handle themselves, except maybe Joan. Nah, she'd be fine.

...

I grinned ferally as I watched Goodwitch start the four-on-one roulette. Please let me play, please let me play, please let me play! My face flashed in the ONE section, and I cheered as I jumped onto the arena floor. The next team made me smile even more. I saw the roulette stop on a team my friends and I had gotten annoyingly familiar with. Team CRDL. I watched as Cardinal and his teammates, Rusty, Dark, and Leon if I remembered right, step up to face me. "I'm going to enjoy this." I declared with a mad grin.

"Yeah, so are we." Cardinal replied, brandishing his mace with a cocky grin.

Goodwitch started the match, and I held out my hands. "Trace On." I muttered, Tracing my favorite ring blade. "I can't wait to see you in pieces!" I cried, swinging the Eiserne Drossel in an arc that knocked Rusty back to the edge of the ring. I blocked a downward swing of Dark's staff, deflecting it toward a charging Leon who seemed to be holding a fencing rapier. Yeah right, like he could compare to Weiss. But, as much as I love the ring blade in my hands, I'm not one to stick to one weapon for too long. Dismissing the weapon, I muttered, "Trace On." before another familiar blade took form in my hands.

"That's overdoing it!" I heard Angel scold me as I swung Elucidator at Cardinal. The sword disappeared after a few strikes and blocking a rather ferocious swing and I Traced another weapon. "Now she's just showing off." I heard my partner mutter again as I swung Nine Lives, knocking the three rushing goons out of the ring and sending their aura into the red.

I muttered one last trace, and my fist was coated in a giant green gauntlet. Turning to Cardinal, who was glaring at me defiantly, I grinned as I pulled my fist back. "Ring Out Punch of Doom!" I screamed happily as I punched him with my own version of Necrid's fist. True to its name, the punch sent Cardinal into the wall, ending the match. "And that was for last Saturday." I informed, dismissing the gauntlet and grinning madly as I rejoined my team.

Angel's POV

After classes, I split from the rest to use the bathroom. After I got out, I ran face-first into Cardinal and his goons. "Hey, watch where you're going bitch." said musclehead snarled at me.

"S-sorry. I'll just be on my way." I apologized quickly, attempting to duck away from the bullies only to be blocked off. My hand fell to my ECHO. My Widowmaker should do the job if things turned violent while minimizing collateral damage. Maybe if I shoot him in the knee? No, he still has aura and it would only piss him off. I could shoot him in the balls, Gods know Becky would get a kick out of that.

Wait, was he talking? "Hey, are you listening to me?" Cardinal demanded, answering my question.

"Why would I listen to a muscle-bound moron like you? Slick Widowmaker." I responded, the Jakobs revolver appearing in my hand as I pulled the hammer back. "Now get the hell out of my-" Cardinal's fist connected with my stomach, knocking the wind out of me and causing me to drop my gun. "D-darn it." I wheezed, clutching my stomach.

"Now you're going to help us get back at that little animal who beat us." Cardinal's voice had taken on a tone I recognized. It was the same tone Dad had taken when he started going off the rails. I felt something hit my head and my vision went black.

Joan's POV

I was heading to my dorm when I noticed it. "Isn't this one of Angel's?" I wondered, picking up the revolver. "Better bring it to her." I figured, heading for Team RACE's dorm and knocking on the door.

Rider was the one to answer. "Hey, what's up?" she asked. Did she look distracted?

"I found this in the hall. It's Angel's right?" I asked, offering the gun.

"Widowmaker?" Rider muttered, taking the gun. "This is bad, she'd never drop this. Couple that with the fact we haven't seen her in an hour..." she muttered, her scroll buzzing. "Angel?" she asked hopefully. putting the device to her ear. The faunus' face twisted into one of rage. "You'll suffer for this one, Cardinal." she swore, hanging up.

I gulped. Cardinal was a right bastard, and if it weren't for Itachi, I imagine he'd have done something unspeakable last Saturday. "I'll call the others." I offered.

"We'll meet you in the Emerald Forest. Ember! Cala! Let's get our siren back."

Rider's POV

I came to the spot CRDL was waiting, sensing something as I came within earshot. "An Anti-Aura field? You're doing I guess?" I asked, motioning my companions to step back.

"You know your stuff, animal." Cardinal mocked. "Which means you also know you can't use your semblance in here. No weapons for you."

I rolled my eyes. "Where's Angel?" I demanded.

"Safe, just a few meters behind us." Rusty assured with a smug grin.

"Ember, Cala, you heard him. I'll handle this." I ordered my teammates.

Cardinal and his goons laughed. "Hear that boys? And how do yo intend to beat us without your little semblance to arm yourself?" Cardinal asked smugly.

"Trace On." I said, holding out my hands.

"Weren't you listening? You can't use your semblance in here!" Dark mocked.

"Before we begin, I have a question." I called over to them, imagining the weapon I wanted. "When did I ever say Tracing was my semblance?" Crescent Rose appeared in my hands.

_**Dun dun duhhhhhh! Well, this is about to get very interesting... and very bloody. So what did you guys think? Good? Bad? Not enough? Leave a review and I'll see everyone next time!**_


	11. Rider's anger: Part 2

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Rider's POV

"Th-that's impossible!" Rusty gasped.

"If it's not your semblance, how are you doing that?" Dark demanded.

"I don't wear this coat just for its stylish look." I snarked, glancing back at my teammates. "What are you two still doing here?" I demanded. The pair nodded and made for where Angel was supposed to be. "Now," I purred with a feral grin. "I wanna see if your blood is any redder than mine." Pointing Crescent Rose's barrel behind me, I fired it to give myself some extra momentum.

Leon was the first to intercept me, but a quick spin of my weapon had him backing off. Of course, with all our auras down thanks to this field they were using, it only made sense. One wrong move, any of us could wind up dead.

_BANG!_

I felt a stinging in my shoulder. One of those bastards shot me! I could feel my semblance begging to be used as my anger rose, but I couldn't have if I wanted to. Feeling blood running down my arm, I knew Crescent Rose wasn't going to be an option much longer. Dismissing the weapon, I muttered to activate the magic of my coat. A weapon came to mind, but I dismissed the notion in favor of one I knew a bit better. A small fan appeared in my hand, and I flipped it open. "Eat this, Dance of Blades!" I shouted, swinging the fan in an arc in front of me.

The resulting wind blades broke CRDL's formation. "How many weapons does this bitch have?" Leon wondered, ducking under another of my attacks.

"Enough to make you suffer no matter how injured you make me!" I shouted back, swinging what I had come to call the Kagurama in another arc. "Dance of the Dragon!" A tornado formed, and I smirked in satisfaction as they went flying into trees, each knocked out. "Game over, you lose." I mocked, tracing a few lengths of rope and hog-tying the team.

That was the moment the blood curdling scream filled the air.

Angel's POV

I slowly returned to consciousness. I tried to sit up, but something kept me from moving my arms. My eyes shot open, and I felt rope around my wrists. Testing my legs, I found my ankles bound as well. Wh-where was I? Had the last few years been a dream? Did Jack catch me after I escaped somehow? Panic swarmed my head. I couldn't see straight. I heard someone approaching.

"There she is." I heard a familiar voice say. A male voice. I saw a shape I couldn't recognize through my hazy vision, but I recognized it as male. Jack! I screamed.

I tried to struggle, to get away from who I thought was my father, I heard more footsteps, these ones frantic. The Vault Hunters? They might be able to run him off. "What happened?" I heard a familiar voice demand. Wait, that wasn't the Vault Hunters.

"I don't know. She took one look at me and screamed." "Jack" replied defensively.

"She's tied up." The familiar voice noted. "She's having a panic attack. Cala, give me a hand." That voice, it was my best friend. I saw a familiar shape kneel before me. "Get her wrists first." she ordered.

"Becky." I breathed, feeling my wrists freed.

"Angel, put your hands together." Becky ordered me. I did as she asked, slowly but I did.

_SMACK!_

My hands stung, but I felt better. "I still can't believe that works." I joked weakly as Cala cut the ankle restraints. "I'm okay now. Can you help me up?" I asked, holding out my hand.

I had expected her to just pull me up, but Becky smiled mischievously before picking me up bridal style. "Hang on tight, Angel. I'm not putting you down." she told me.

"B-Becky! Put me down! I can walk on my own!" I demanded, but my cries fell on deaf ears as my partner carried me back to Beacon. But even as I protested, I sank deeper into the embrace. I felt a familiar sensation, one I knew well.

I felt safe.

Rider's POV

An hour later, my anger was barely contained, and I could feel my semblance begging to let it out, to tear CRDL to shreds. Angel was in the infirmary, resting from her ordeal. I stood in front of Headmaster Oscar, who had his cane in a death grip. "What will be done?" I asked.

"Expulsion and Blacklisting for starters." Oscar replied. "To think someone would go this far, with all the steps we've taken." he muttered.

"Prejudices don't change overnight, unfortunately." I sighed. "And Angel? She's going to need a couple days to recover from this." I pressed.

"I'll let her teachers know, but she's going to have to make up the work."

"Leave that to me." I replied. "Goodnight, Oscar."

"Good night, Rebecca."

...

I sighed as I entered the room, informing the others of Oscar's decision. "Good, it's the least those bastards deserve." Ember hissed, setting to work polishing Blister and Burn.

"I know you want to ask." I sighed, throwing off my jacket. "Go ahead if you want."

"No, you tell us when you're ready." Cala replied. "Now get some rest. We've all been through a lot tonight." I smiled at the pair, climbing into my bed.

_**And done! Well, that didn't go exactly how I thought. And not the best way, but I can't think of a way to fix it. Anyway, what do you guys think? No nearly as bad as I'm making it out to be? Even worse? Leave a review and I'll see everyone next time!**_


	12. Trip to town part 1

_**Since Ember and Cala haven't exactly gotten a lot of screen time yet, and I wanted to have a little fun instead of this serious stuff I've been writing so...**_

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Ember's POV

I noticed Cala shoot worried glances at Angel every now and again. It had been a week since CRDL had kidnapped her and subsequently suffered the wrath of not only Rider, but the Headmaster as well. Now their bones _and_ their reputations were in shambles, and we thankfully never have to hear from them again. I glanced at our fearless leader, who was looking at a piece of paper she had pulled from her bag an hour ago and was muttering to herself.

As she was prone to do, Cala broke the silence. "I'm bored." she complained. "Do you guys wanna do something?"

"What do you have in mind?" I asked.

"Well, I hear that there's this great club in Vale. If I remember right, Yang Xiao-Long went there a couple times during her years at Beacon."

"You talking about Junior's new place?" Rider asked, putting down her paper. "Haven't been there in a couple years, could be fun."

"You'll end up dragging me along anyway." I sighed, standing up. Cala grinned at me before turning to Angel with her best puppy-dog eyes. "Don't look, none can resist her puppy eyes." I warned.

Unfortunately, she looked. "Alright, let me get my ECHO." she caved quickly. Cala cheered and we all started getting ready to head out.

...

"Karaoke Friday? Cala, you did this on purpose." Rider accused playfully, pulling her jacket tighter. Couldn't blame her, the wind was cold today.

"Maybe?" my old friend replied sheepishly. Wow she's cute. Wait, what? No, Cala was just a friend.

"I'm not complaining, I just would have brought my guitar if I had known." Rider shrugged.

"Wish I knew, I would have brought it." Angel added.

The four of us walked in, and Rider froze, catching sight of the instruments on the stage. "Angel, they have a piano." she pointed out.

"Rider, no." Angel deadpanned.

"Rider, yes." the cat faunus replied, vanishing in a puff of smoke.

"What was that about?" I asked curiously.

"There's a song Rider almost always plays if she has access to a piano." Angel replied dryly. "Come on, let's catch up to her and pick some songs and food." she suggested, waving us along after her partner.

Rider's POV

Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! I haven't played this song in a while. Not since the piano at home was mysteriously dropped from the roof of the HQ. I still want to know how that was pulled off, that thing was heavy. "Next up, we have Miss Rider playing her favorite song, This Game." Junior announced, his gruff voice startling everyone. I sat down at the piano and closed my eyes, placing my fingers on the keys and taking a deep breath. Starting the intro, I heard a few cheers from the crowd as I began to sing.

_"Mawari tsuzukeru, haguruma ni wa nari sagaranai_

_Heikin enjiru, tanjou kara hajimatta jigoku_

_Asobi hanbun de, kami ga michibiita, banjou no sekai_

_No no no game no life_

_Nurui heion o, bassari kirisutete_

_Eikou e no kaidan ni, sonzai kizamunda_

_Me ni utsuru no wa, kanzen shouri no unmei_

_Nanimokamo, keisan dōri_

_Kaete yaru, somaranai kūhaku de"_

I smiled as the lyrics came back to me like second nature. I couldn't help it, this was my favorite song, and the one that started my hobby of writing my own. I knew Angel wasn't as much of a fan, but hey, we can't all like the same stuff, right?

_"We are Maverick, kyūsai nante iranai_

_Donna rifujin, osoou tomo_

_Kateba ii dake no hanashi darou_

_Kakehiki to, sainou ga, muhai izanau_

_Umare naoshita inochi de, tanoshimu sa_

_Jibun dake wa, futari jibun shinjiteru_

_Kokoro ni hisomu yami yori tsuyoi aite wa inai_

_Kujikenu kagiri, soko ni haiboku wa, arienai_

_Uwabe no kosei de, anshin to hikikae ni, puraido korosu na_

_No no no sense of life_

_Yaban na zatsuon o, kippari ketobashite_

_Dare yori junsui na, koe agerunda_

_Tatakau koto wa, kitto machigai ja nai_

_Tegotae ga, oshiete kureta_

_Subete ushinatte mo, kachinokore"_

People were cheering louder and louder as I continued, and I couldn't help smiling wider. Looks like my performance was being enjoyed. That was good. I'm always happy to share this song with anyone willing to listen.

_"We are Maverick, joushiki nante iranai_

_Mae e narae, mukau saki ni_

_Matteru no wa taikutsu darou_

_Iinari ja, tsumannai, idonde yaru_

_Umare naoshita inochi mo, koma ni shite_

_Jibun dake no michi o, saigo made_

_Mayowanai, erabareshi mono_

_Makka na unubore demo_

_Hokorashiku ikinuku tame no houhou o_

_Hitotsu shika shiranai kara_

_We are Maverick, kyūsai nante iranai_

_Donna rifujin, osoou tomo_

_Kateba ii dake no hanashi darou_

_Kakehiki to, sainou ga, muhai izanau_

_Umare naoshita inochi de, tanoshimu sa_

_Kono sekai, te ni shite, waraunda_

_We are Maverick, saikyou no, Maverick gamers_

_Kūhaku naraba, nanimono ni mo nareru_

_Jibun dake wa, jibun shinjiteru!"_

I sighed as my fingers stilled. I stood, bowing to the crowd in thanks as the large room erupted into cheers. "Thank you all for listening! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!" I declared, stepping off the stage. I hurried to where my team was, smiling the whole way. "What did you guys think?"

"It sounded even better than the last hundred times I heard it." Angel huffed, turning her head away before glancing back at me with a smirk. "Are you ever _not_ going to love that song?" she asked.

"Nope!" I answered, popping the p.

"Next up is Angel Clarke, singing-" A loud boom outside cut off whatever song Angel was going to sing as the whole building shook.

"That can't be anything good." Ember muttered, pulling out his scroll as my team went outside to investigate. I don't know who was more surprised when we saw a bunch of faunus swarming the streets with guns lead by a redheaded asshole with bull horns. Adam.

"Trace on." I muttered, thinking of what weapon would be the most helpful right now.

_**And done! Sorry this took so long. I was planning to have everyone sing a song, but I couldn't come up with much and I needed to post this so people know I'm not dead. Oh, and before I forget. Those of you on the RWBY mobile game Amity Arena may have done battle with on Allison N Rouge with a Neo picture. This is not a copycat. The Black Cat of Beacon is prowling the arena and looking for a challenge. Anyway! Leave a review with what you thought and I'll see you guys next time!**_


	13. Trip to town part 2

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Rider's POV

Angel and I had our weapons out, while I heard a crash behind us suggesting the rocket-lockers of my other teammates. Well this was going to be interesting. "Angel, get some high ground with Volcano." I ordered, my partner nodding before leaping onto various balconies, overhangs, and fire escapes before vanishing from sight. "Ember, Cala, keep their attention here. I'll cover you." I added, putting Caldabolg II to my bow. "Let's get this done!"

"Right." my teammates replied, dashing for the attacking faunus. I used a reduced power version of EMIYA's nuke shot to incapacitate a good portion of the vanguard. Of course, the mini-explosion caught the attention of the other hostiles, so they started shooting at me.

"Trace on." I snapped, holding my hand out for Lord Camelot to form in front of me. Hearing bullets bounce off, I smirked. _Good luck, bastards. Not even Goetia could break this shield._ I thought smugly. I heard a much louder bang, and a pained gasp. Guess Angel got to a decent point. "Alright, now let's see if I can do this today." I muttered, focusing on a weapon I didn't use too often. Why? Cause it's not easy to use, and took a shit-ton of my concentration to even awaken. Not something for everyday use.

Cinder's POV

When we saw the screaming people running past the bakery, Emerald had gotten her kamas while my eyes took on their amber glow before we told everyone to stay inside and rushing out to see a few faunus dressed in a uniform reminiscent of the Fang's terrorist days. I grinned sadistically as I lit my palms on fire. I even saw that lone guy with the chainsaw. "Well look who it is." I called out, catching his attention.

"Traitor." came the hissing reply.

"Maybe so, but that's not going to stop me from keeping these people safe." I replied casually. "Care to guess how much of you's going to be left when I'm done?"

"Oh gods, please no." I heard Emerald groan beside me, taking aim.

"No blood, no bone, no ash!" I shouted my favorite quote as I threw flames and scorching winds. This was going to be fun! I absently wondered if Ember and his friends were in the middle of this? Well, he's got Allie's brat looking out for him so he'll be fine even if he gets seperated from my future daughter-in-law.

Cala's POV

I sneezed before dodging a shot. "Someone's talking about me." I muttered, activating my Semblance and rushing the guy I was fighting, cutting his gun up and knocking him out with the pommel of Dark Past in the same movement. "Probably Cinder."

"You were a little too sure of that." Ember muttered, landing beside me as he fired Blister and Burn. The rounds forced the faunus attackers to duck for cover, giving us both some breathing room. "I saw some weakness in their guns' barrels. Looks like an old model with iffy Dust wiring."

"Got it." I replied, brandishing Dark Past and moving. One faunus stepped out from cover only to get shot by Angel from wherever she was hiding. Man, that girl could move, it's only been a few minutes and she's already taken out ten guys. I was worried about the fact Adam had vanished from the battleground. Where had that insane asshole gotten off to? I ducked a bullet. No time to think about that now.

"Take this!" I screamed, slashing my blade. The gun came apart in my prey's hands, and he quickly surrendered. The battle went like that for a good few minutes, with the four of us basically taking on the small army ourselves. Got to tell ya, they were not very good fighters and had Storm Trooper accuracy. It was actually kinda sad.

The battle was over quickly, and the four of us regrouped. "Anyone else think that was too easy?" I asked.

"Oh come on, maybe we're just that good!" Ember suggested dryly.

"No, Cala's right." Rider replied, a hand on her chin. "Even with our individual strengths, this seems like knowingly throwing pebbles against a wall." she muttered. "I think this was just a distraction, but then what was Adam's real goal in Vale?"

Ember looked at me with panicked eyes as the thought struck both of us. "The Bakery!" we shouted.

"Cinder and Emerald." Angel gasped. "Rider!"

"Right. You three go on ahead. I'll call into the school and let them know what's happening." Rider ordered. We nodded, taking off at high speed. I really hope those two are okay.

Cinder's POV

I smirked as I watched the charred corpse of the lieutenant fall to the ground. Well, it was nice while it lasted. "Well, look who it is." a familiar and unwelcome voice said from behind. On instinct, I conjured and rose my swords to block a red blade. "Hello Cinder." my attacker greeted.

"Adam." I replied neutrally, shoving him back. "Shouldn't you be rotting in a jail cell somewhere?" I asked dryly.

"A new benefactor decided I was worth breaking out. He gave me control of his faunus forces, the Red Claw." the redheaded bull explained. "And with them, I'll finish what I started with the Fang."

"As if. You'll have to get past me, first." I scoffed, attacking. "Emerald!" I shouted, catching my wife's attention. The real fight started now, and I was going to need help.

_**And done! Well, that went well, I think. And sorry, don't get to see Rider's little trump card. Not yet anyway. I have a pretty good idea of how I want this to go now, so I should be updating more regularly. So what did you guys think? Good? Bad? Not enough? Leave a review and I'll see you all next time!**_


	14. Trip to town: Part 3

_**Um, the poll for the AngelxRider ship is still open, and will be for another seven chapters. So if you want Rider and Angel to get together in this story, you have seven chapters to let me know, and you know how often I update so... Anyway!**_

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Cinder's POV

I blocked Adam's slash, barely moving my head in time to avoid his shotgun blast before throwing him back into Emerald's kama blades, which slashed him across his back, messing up his jacket. "Give up, Adam. We have you outmatched." Emerald spat. Adam only smirked as he went of the offensive, slashing his blood-red blade at us at high speeds we either blocked or dodged.

Then things went downhill as Emerald tripped, rolling her ankle. "Emerald!" I called in worry, seeing her clutch at her injured foot. I watched in horror as Adam took notice of my wife's weakened state, and made a mad dash to try to save her. _I can't lose her again!_ I thought, flashing back to that horrible moment in the Atlas Vault as I threw fireballs at the bull. He cut them in half before knocking me back, using the recoil of his shotgun sheath to knock me on my ass and stunning me as he poised himself to strike.

BANG!

Adam flew by me, and I looked to where he had been standing a second ago. "Mercury?" I gasped, surprised to see my subordinate.

"Sup?" The assassin greeted casually, looking at Emerald. "Kya, see if you can freeze her ankle. I can hold off mister "Death to Humanity."" he ordered, his sister, Kya Black, appearing from behind him and kneeling down to do as instructed as he helped me to my feet. "Glad I decided to pay you guys a surprise visit." he chuckled.

"Don't be a smartass." I replied playfully. Not gonna lie, I missed this moron. We heard Adam get up, and got into our fighting stances.

BANG!

Another shot grazed Adam's cheek, and four more familiar faces approached. "Adam is the target. We take him out, this whole thing crumbles!" I heard Rider shout. "Go for the kill!"

"Right!" the other three acknowledged.

"It seems I must withdraw for now." Adam sighed, a golden portal opening behind him. "Until next time, traitor." he hissed, stepping inside and vanishing.

I heard Rider mutter something under her breath, dismissing her weapons. "You guys okay?" the redcoated girl asked.

"Fine, though Mercury and I could have handled him." I replied testily.

"Yeah, but with a lot more collateral damage." she argued back with a smirk. Oh, it was on!

Rider's POV

I cursed as I pulled out my scroll, opening the familiar app as the rest of my team ordered some food. As it loaded, I glanced over to see them approaching. "There's no way we've seen the last of them. Adam was never one to give up." Ember informed as he pulled Cala's chair out. I would have mocked him if it weren't for the fact I stood to do the same with Angel.

"Agreed." I sighed, glancing over to the tv in the corner, broadcasting the attack just an hour ago. "Did everyone see how Adam got away?" I asked.

"He's working for Crimson." Cala answered. Everyone stayed silent, but we all knew she was right. After all, Adam had escaped using the Gate of Babylon. My scroll rang and I stepped away.

Putting the device to my ear, I listened to the person on the other side. "Sorry, but you know it's important." I replied. "Listen, it looks like Crimson might be bringing back old enemies. He's a Gamer, so he might have undone Hazel's petrification." A pause as I listen to the reply. "Aunt Ruby is there, isn't she?" I asked. "Thanks, I'll call with any updates." I sighed in relief. "Hey, how is she?" I asked hesitantly. The reply was what I expected. "Well, be sure to call if anything changes, okay?" I requested. "You too, I'll be in touch." I giggled, hanging up.

Angel's POV

As Rider stepped away, I noticed Ember and Cala looking at me. "What?" I asked dryly.

"So, how long have you known Rider anyway?" Ember asked.

I had to think about it. She was fifteen when we met, and she just turned twenty so, "About five years, I guess." I answered. Has it really been that long?

"And you won't admit your feelings because?" Cala asked.

I froze. "I...I can't." I muttered.

"But why?" the faunus asked.

"It's... complicated. Something to do with my past." I replied. "I'm trying to work through it, but it's harder than one might think."

Ember scoffed. "Funny, thought it was a friend's job to ease the burden." he said.

I did want to trust them, to let them help me with my issues, but that was the one word I struggled with. Trust. "Later. I promise, I'll tell you both my reasons, but later." I bargained. Both nodded as Rider returned. "She know?" I asked. She nodded, sitting next to me. "Well, what now?"

"Nothing much we can do for now." Rider replied with a huff. "Without a lead on this new Red Claw or whatever, all we can do is proceed as normal. Keep our ears to the ground." We all nodded, Cinder bringing us our orders.

Rider's POV

It had been two weeks since Adam's attack, and I was getting increasingly frustrated. Not only had the Claw made three more attacks across Vale and in some portions of Mistral, but it seems some of the Fang were defecting. As news poured in about this new terrorist organization, and I was powerless to do anything but attend my classes with the rest, I was growing increasingly agitated.

Eventually, it came to the point I went to my main de-stressing activity. "I'm stepping out for a bit. Be back before dinner." I called behind me, grabbing my songbook and my guitar, Thursday.

"Don't lose track of time." Angel threw back.

"That was one time!" I snapped playfully, earning a laugh from my crush. I made my way to the roof. I remembered one of my aunts mention she had trained my uncle here, and it gave me a sense of calming. Pulling Thursday out of her case, I opened my book, did my usual adjustments, and flipped to a blank page. I began singing.

"_Red like Roses fills my dreams and brings me to the place you rest._

_White is cold and always yearning, burdened by the royal test."_

I stopped for a second, thinking of my own team. Grabbing my pencil, I wrote some lyrics in my book, grabbed Thursday again, and tried it out.

"_Red and Black suppress the secret, soon to be revealed at last._

_Pure White Wings, broke but reforming, chained down by a horrid past._

_Calico, the beast of vengeance._

_Emerald and gold see all."_

I frowned. That didn't quite sound right. I looked at the last line again. Something felt off about that line. I puzzled over it, but couldn't think of a better idea. Sighing, I decided to just make a space to come back to it and began writing. I had a new song swimming around in my head, but I needed some lyrics to go with it. But try as I might, I couldn't come up with something that satisfied me. Soon my time was up, and despite the frustration at my writer's block, I closed my book feeling much more relaxed than when I came up here. I smiled, returning to my dorm.

Ember's POV

After Rider came back, we all headed out for dinner in the cafeteria. "So, dear leader, have you thought about the upcoming missions?" I asked.

"Or the Vytal Festival?" Cala chimed in, making sure her hat was in place.

"Well, as far as the missions go, I was thinking some Search and Destroy since I think we all could do with a chance to blow off steam." Rider replied, earning nods from all of us. "But that's not for a while yet, and we may even get a lead on the Claw. In fact, I have a feeling something will come up real soon." she said, muttering the last part. "Anyway, as for the Festival, I hear it's gonna be her in Vale again, so at least if we decide to enter then we won't have to worry about leaving the kingdom." we laughed a bit.

"Well, we can discuss more later," Angel suggested, "but first I think we should eat." We noticed we had made it to the cafeteria. Huh, that didn't seem like a very long walk. "Come on, I'm hungry."

_**And done! I think next I'll be introducing some teams from other schools, and if you guys are willing, PM me with an OC, preferably a "second generation" type character but I'll take anything. If you guys don't want to, its fine I have some characters lined up just in case, but otherwise I guess this the part where I say leave a review of what you thought and I'll see you all next time!**_

_**Oh! And if anyone has a better last line for Red and Black, my Red Like Roses parody, please give me something. This is really bugging me.**_


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